Water is part of the world’s heritage. Two thirds of our planet’s surface is covered by water. Less than 1% of it is available for the needs of humankind.
The protection, respect and exploitation of this natural resource and the development of what is made available to us by the balance of nature are in all of our interests.
Water is for us the source of life. Water will soon become an instrument of power and influence.
… a waterfall rushing over a cliff, or a calm and sleepy lake, or a river slipping down the slopes, imprisoned by its banks?
What could be easier for us than turning on a tap, more normal than drawing on this everyday godsend as much as we need?
But our planet is the only one in the solar system where water is found. And yet water is carelessly and extravagantly exploited; it is increasingly polluted, making the production of drinking water ever more complex and expensive. Abounding in natural goodness, present since the Earth itself was made, perpetually flowing, indispensable for life to flourish and for ecosystems to be maintained, and necessary for countless human activities, water is essential to the survival and development of humanity. But intensive exploitation, the increasing pollution of reserves, the growing demands of a booming world population, the chronic shortages endured by some countries and the careless management of others provoke questions: what is to happen to this scarce resource? How can it best be preserved? How likely is a global shortage?
Could a shortage of water lead to international conflicts?
They further go on to shout what they beleive as this
What could be more natural than…
… a waterfall rushing over a cliff, or a calm and sleepy lake, or a river slipping down the slopes, imprisoned by its banks?
What could be easier for us than turning on a tap, more normal than drawing on this everyday godsend as much as we need?
But our planet is the only one in the solar system where water is found. And yet water is carelessly and extravagantly exploited; it is increasingly polluted, making the production of drinking water ever more complex and expensive. Abounding in natural goodness, present since the Earth itself was made, perpetually flowing, indispensable for life to flourish and for ecosystems to be maintained, and necessary for countless human activities, water is essential to the survival and development of humanity. But intensive exploitation, the increasing pollution of reserves, the growing demands of a booming world population, the chronic shortages endured by some countries and the careless management of others provoke questions: what is to happen to this scarce resource? How can it best be preserved? How likely is a global shortage?
Could a shortage of water lead to international conflicts?
The three pillars
The Saint Lazare Foundation aims to become an essential global player specializing in water. Its strength and distinctiveness derive from the three pillars on which it stands:
■ A think tank ■ An investment source ■ A centre of operations
The Saint Lazare Foundation is a place for observation, reflection, debate, investment and action. It is a key network in the development of multilateral cooperation and international programmes in the sphere of water. The Saint Lazare Foundation is an independent international NGO which is set to make a bold and rigorous contribution to the understanding of the changes of our times and the world’s engagement with them.
Prince Charles-Philippe d’Orléans
Duc d’Anjou
Two thirds of our planet’s surface…
…is covered by water.
■ Less than 1% of the Earth’s water is available for the needs of humankind
■ The world’s population is expected to rise from 6 billion in 2000
to 8 billion in 2025
■ The average amount of fresh water available per person per year will therefore drop
from 6,600 to 4,800 cubic metres, a fall of almost a third
■ Between half and two thirds of humankind will be suffering ‘water stress’ by 2025
(less than 1,700 cubic metres of fresh water available per person per year)
■ Irrigation currently absorbs 70 % of global water usage, and this is expected to increase
by 17 % over the next 20 years
■ Municipal and domestic consumption is set to rise by 40% in the next 20 years
According to the United Nations, fifty years from now water could become as precious a commodity as oil…
A think tank
Free of any exploitation or influence, the Saint Lazare Foundation will work to produce objective statements on global water-related problems, publishing an annual report, which will eventually become a standard international reference source.
The think tank will be a place where ideas can mingle and be compared, leading to the surfacing of reflections and propositions. Its objective is to gather and federate international water specialists (professionals, industrialists, associations, institutions, NGOs, scientists, researchers, academics, special interest groups, pressure groups, etc).
The think tank will give the Saint Lazare Foundation a unique and internationally recognized expertise and will become a key player in the international debate on water-related problems. Hence the Foundation will have the power to influence, to negotiate and to make proposals.
The Saint Lazare Foundation will become the most powerful pressure group in the sphere of water.
An investment source
An investor in:
■ The next generation of researchers, scientists, thinkers, strategists, doctors, etc
(identifying suitably talented individuals, providing study bursaries)
■ Scientific, chemical and medical research and development (funding research projects
and centres, laboratories and universities)
■ New technologies and techniques relevant to the sphere of water (purification, drainage, distribution,
extraction, desalination)
■ Our aquatic heritage: the acquisition, preservation and commercialization of aquatic and terrestrial nature
reserves for the Carbon Finance market
Saint Lazare Investment is to be an investment trust with the Saint Lazare Foundation as its majority shareholder. It will position itself as the international point of reference for research and knowledge-based financing.
Saint Lazare Investment will be the largest owner of aquatic property and will thus face the prerogatives of future international ecological policies from the point of view of an influential investor in the Carbon Finance marketplace.
Investing in water is investing in the future.
A centre of operations
As a result of the observations, reflections and learning of the think tank and the investment in the research and development of new technologies and techniques by Saint Lazare Investment, the centre of operations will be enabled to plan concrete and effective action on the ground:
■ The preservation of aquatic and terrestrial nature reserves
■ Emergency humanitarian aid in serious crisis situations
■ Local charitable activities (wells, irrigation, water distribution)
■ Large-scale regional development projects (water treatment and desalination works,
irrigation and distribution networks)
■ Raising awareness of water issues among urban populations in collaboration with the relevant public authorities.
The 7 sectors concerned
Water resources:
Climatology and study of the water cycle (rainfall, evaporation, seepage, maintenance of the water table)
Water and agriculture:
The main challenge in this field is to devise methods which contribute to lasting development: the preservation of resources (water and soil), the limiting of widespread pollution, the management of conflicting practices
Estuaries and coastal regions:
This sector covers an extremely fragile interface, heavily dependent on what is brought to it by rivers and runoffs (particularly contaminants) and highly subject to human activity; a field of special note is the protection of wetlands
Aquatic biodiversity:
The preservation, protection and management of live aquatic resources, in particular the introduction of new species, and the protection of this heritage
The 7 sectors concerned
Water and health:
A crucial field, considering the many sources de pollution: major issues are the epidemiology of micropollutants, the establishment of norms of drinkability, the characterization of vectors of disease, especially in the tropics, and toxicological effects on the eco-environment
Water and towns:
This covers a number of aspects of daily life for urban dwellers: the drinking water supply (including treatment to make it drinkable), the economic value of water, the removal and purification of waste water, rainwater management, flood risks to towns
Hydro-politics:
Geopolitical and geostrategic studies of the major water-related issues which countries face.
The network
The Saint Lazare Foundation is already a network of associations in over twenty countries,
supported by thousands of volunteers:
United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Sweden, Austria, Croatia, France,
Ireland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Slovakia,
Switzerland, Spain, Lebanon, Cyprus.
The World Society
The World Society was created to finance the Saint Lazare Foundation. The members of this society are both natural persons and legal entities. The World Society is a global network, which offers unique advantages to its members. It comprises those men and women around the world who are part of the economic, financial, social or cultural elite and who wish to invest in the future of the planet.
The World Society is one of the world’s most exclusive societies. Joining the World Society is a unique opportunity, a privilege: fees and selection criteria are set accordingly
The future belongs to those who invest in it. The future is water. The members of the World Society are among ‘the happy few’ who will become key players in the future of our planet.
The World Society is divided into three circles, each with its own membership conditions and quotas. Further information and contacts:
www.TheWorldSociety.org
Contact us
Home | Our information | External documentation
Secretariat
Count Philippe Piccapietra
foundation at oslj.org
The Saint Lazare Foundation is a partner of the United Nations International Decade for Action Water for Life 2005 - 2015
Documents - PDF
